Denton ISD names teachers of the year

Ginnings Elementary School teacher Kelli Whisenhunt reacts after being named elementary school teacher of the year at the district’s annual Jostens Teacher of the Year program on Tuesday at the LaGrone Advanced Technology Complex in Denton.

Whisenhunt, Abney take top honors

Denton’s top educators in elementary and secondary schools were
recognized at a reception this week at the LaGrone Advanced Technology Complex.

At the
district’s annual Jostens Teacher of the Year program on Tuesday, Kelli
Whisenhunt of Ginnings Elementary School and Jeannene Abney of Ryan High School
were named the district’s top educators in Denton’s elementary and secondary
schools, respectively.

As the
2013 top educators in the district, Whisenhunt and Abney each received a trip
to the Jostens Renaissance National Conference this July in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
from the award’s title sponsor. They also received their choice from six
vehicles to drive through the first week of August, courtesy of James Wood
Autopark. Whisenhunt selected the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro coupe and Abney
selected a 2013 Cadillac ATS sedan.

The two
will now represent the district in the region’s teacher of the year competition,
coordinated by the Region XI Service Center in Fort Worth.

Upon
completing an application for the region and state teacher of the year
contests, the two educators will receive $500 from the district.

Tuesday’s
program recognized Teacher of the Year honorees at 32 Denton schools. Each
received a gold ring from Jostens, a signature T-shirt designed by San Bay
Studio and special insulated tumbler from DATCU.

Seven
members from the district’s Teachers Communications Committee, which serves as
a liaison between the various campuses and the administration, reviewed
applications and resumes of teacher of the year nominees a day before selecting
the district’s top elementary and secondary educators, said Vicki Storrie, the
committee’s chairwoman, who was excluded from this year’s selection because she
herself was a nominee.

The
selection committee, she said, decides “who they feel are the most worthy
candidates based on experience, philosophy, accomplishments.”

She said
the winners are those who talk about students and the impact they want to make
on their lives — those who participate in continuing education and are active
in the community.

Whisenhunt
has been an EXPO teacher at Ginnings Elementary since 2006. Her career as an
educator spans nearly 30 years.

Whisenhunt
said she was honored by the award.

“My
stomach was just doing flip-flops, and I couldn’t believe that I was being
honored this way,” she said. “I mean, this is my 28th year to teach, and it’s
just an incredible experience.”

Missey
Chavez, principal at Ginnings Elementary, calls Whisenhunt the backbone of the
school and a true inspiration. Whisenhunt was diagnosed with breast cancer two
years ago and never missed a day of school while battling the disease, Chavez
said.

Whisenhunt
becomes the second consecutive teacher from Ginnings Elementary to be the
district’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. Last year, Ginnings art teacher Kay
Adamson received the award.

“We have
exceptional teachers,” Chavez said. “We just do. The heart, the compass and
dedication to the education of our students is profound with our staff.”

Abney’s career as an educator spans more than 30 years, and she’s been
a theater arts teacher at Ryan High since 1992. She was recognized last year by
the University Interscholastic League with the Sponsor Excellence Award, and
she was also one of the first inductees into the Texas State Thespians Hall of
Fame.

Abney
said the honor was humbling.

“Just to
be honored by teachers was incredible. I mean it was wonderful. I am so honored
and so thrilled to represent Ryan High School,” Abney said. “[It’s] one of the
highlights of my educational career.”

When
asked what it takes to become a teacher of the year, she said it’s “not ever
thinking that’s what’s going to happen.”

“I think
that when you just do your job because you’re very passionate about what you do
and you really do want to make a difference ... that one moment when you walk
in and there’s success ... it’s all worth it,” Abney said. “It really is a
calling. It isn’t anything about summers off or, of course, money, but it
really is about [the] calling and that you want to make a difference.”

Principal
Vernon Reeves said Abney is “a big part of making Ryan High School a community
of students that works together.” He said she’s someone who’s given students
multiple options at experiencing success through the programs she teaches.
Reeves said Abney gets students involved and helps them gain an appreciation
for the arts.

“I can’t
think of a better person that represents the energy and heart that’s needed to
reach students and make a difference in their lives,” Reeves said. “If I had
one word to describe her, it’s ‘passion’ — for kids and passion for theater.
Everything she does revolves around that word.”

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876
and via Twitter at @BritneyTabor.

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